Australian Doctors Want Influencers to Stop Glamorizing Pokies

Physicians in Australia have called on lawmakers to act decisively and restrict social media content that is pushed onto citizens by influencers and that specifically puts poker machines on a pedestal, suggesting that they are risk-free and safe to play by anyone.

Gambling Ads in Australia Are Getting Out of Hand

This is misleading, Australian doctors and their governing body have said, encouraging lawmakers to crack down on influencers who tend to push this narrative onto people, with serious socio-economic consequences. This type of content seldom contains any disclaimers about the addictive and dangerous nature of gambling, as well.

Social media influencers in other countries have come under scrutiny for practicing such unsolicited gambling advertisements, from Sweden to the United States to the Netherlands. A worrying trend that has been identified among Australian influencers is those accounts that tend to collate content supposedly documenting big wins, such as turning $5 into a $164,000 payout.

However, doctors have warned that these accounts failed to properly document their exact losses and, therefore, created an unrealistic expectation in viewers that, if the players engaged with poker machines, they would possibly end up winning more than they had lost, even turning smaller amounts into eye-watering prizes.

Australian Medical Association President Dr Danielle McMullen did not mince her words and called the videos shocking. The fact that such videos were allowed to circulate freely indicated that regulation has lagged behind the current market realities.

“They are targeted at young people and seek to glamorize what is a dangerous habit and not one we would encourage people to take part in,” she added.

No Responsible Gambling Messages Whatsoever

Meta has responded to this report and argued that the advertiser and creator must both obtain written permission in order to be able to promote real money gambling products on social media.

However, the available evidence suggests that influencers are moving quicker than platforms and lawmakers can shut them down, as identifying non-compliant ads may be a difficult and resource-heavy process.

There is also an issue with defining the account’s status – are they advertising a product?